North Dakota Legislature considering bills that would increase taxes on tobacco

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota Legislature is considering a bill that would increase taxes on tobacco products.

Senate Minority Leader Kathy Hogan of Fargo is the sponsor of the bill.

SB 2281 would raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 25 cents, to 69 cents.

Cigars would see a tax of 32 percent while electronic cigarettes and vapes would see a 28 percent tax on wholesale purchases.

The bill would also create a special fund with Health and Human Services getting half of the money to give to local public health units.

Five groups opposed to the bill testified at a senate hearing, some saying that the bill didn’t raise taxes enough.

Hogan says that increasing the sales tax on nicotine is the best thing we can do right now for the health of today’s youth.

“The big issue is the youth-risk behavior scale has demostrated that youth are smoking more and more, and I think taxation is a factor. Particularily in youth smoking. That if we can stop this early, it is the most important public health thing we can do,” Hogan said.

HB 1570, a similar house bill, has also been submitted that would raise the price of cigarettes by over a dollar per pack.

Sen. Hogan supports that bill as well.